The Danish ventral hernia database: A valuable tool for quality assessment and research

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Danish ventral hernia database

T2 - A valuable tool for quality assessment and research

AU - Helgstrand, Frederik

AU - Jorgensen, Lars Nannestad

PY - 2016/10/25

Y1 - 2016/10/25

N2 - Aim: The Danish Ventral Hernia Database (DVHD) provides national surveillance of current surgical practice and clinical postoperative outcomes. The intention is to reduce postoperative morbidity and hernia recurrence, evaluate new treatment strategies, and facilitate nationwide implementation of evidence-based treatment strategies. This paper describes the design and purpose of DVHD. Study population: Adult (≥18 years) patients with a Danish Civil Registration Number and undergoing surgery under elective or emergency conditions for ventral hernia in a Danish surgical department from 2007 and beyond. A total of 80% of all ventral hernia repairs performed in Denmark were reported to the DVHD. Main variables: Demographic data (age, sex, and center), detailed hernia description (eg, type, size, surgical priority), and technical aspects (open/laparoscopic and mesh related factors) related to the surgical repair are recorded. Data registration is mandatory. Data may be merged with other Danish health registries and information from patient questionnaires or clinical examinations. Descriptive data: More than 37,000 operations have been registered. Data have demonstrated high agreement with patient files. The data allow technical proposals for surgical improvement with special emphasis on reduced incidences of postoperative complications, hernia recurrence, and chronic pain. Conclusion: DVHD is a prospective and mandatory registration system for Danish surgeons. It has collected a high number of operations and is an excellent tool for observing changes over time, including adjustment of several confounders. This national database registry has impacted on clinical practice in Denmark and led to a high number of scientific publications in recent years.

AB - Aim: The Danish Ventral Hernia Database (DVHD) provides national surveillance of current surgical practice and clinical postoperative outcomes. The intention is to reduce postoperative morbidity and hernia recurrence, evaluate new treatment strategies, and facilitate nationwide implementation of evidence-based treatment strategies. This paper describes the design and purpose of DVHD. Study population: Adult (≥18 years) patients with a Danish Civil Registration Number and undergoing surgery under elective or emergency conditions for ventral hernia in a Danish surgical department from 2007 and beyond. A total of 80% of all ventral hernia repairs performed in Denmark were reported to the DVHD. Main variables: Demographic data (age, sex, and center), detailed hernia description (eg, type, size, surgical priority), and technical aspects (open/laparoscopic and mesh related factors) related to the surgical repair are recorded. Data registration is mandatory. Data may be merged with other Danish health registries and information from patient questionnaires or clinical examinations. Descriptive data: More than 37,000 operations have been registered. Data have demonstrated high agreement with patient files. The data allow technical proposals for surgical improvement with special emphasis on reduced incidences of postoperative complications, hernia recurrence, and chronic pain. Conclusion: DVHD is a prospective and mandatory registration system for Danish surgeons. It has collected a high number of operations and is an excellent tool for observing changes over time, including adjustment of several confounders. This national database registry has impacted on clinical practice in Denmark and led to a high number of scientific publications in recent years.

KW - Database management system

KW - Morbidity

KW - National

KW - Outcome

KW - Registries

KW - Ventral hernia

U2 - 10.2147/CLEP.S99501

DO - 10.2147/CLEP.S99501

M3 - Review

C2 - 27822119

AN - SCOPUS:84995578296

SN - 1179-1349

VL - 8

SP - 719

EP - 723

JO - Clinical Epidemiology

JF - Clinical Epidemiology

ER -